Ornate entablature adorns the doorways into the library and salon from the wide center hall foyer in the main house.

Ornate entablature adorns the doorways into the library and salon from the wide center hall foyer in the main house.

Photo: Contributed Photos

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The banquet-sized formal dining room features decorative molding and a Palladium window.

The banquet-sized formal dining room features decorative molding and a Palladium window.

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The long list of amenities found on this 153-acre-plus estate includes its Gunite heated in-ground swimming pool.

The long list of amenities found on this 153-acre-plus estate includes its Gunite heated in-ground swimming pool.

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Quiet Lake Estate in Wilton and New Canaan contains two lakes where residents can fish and boat.

Quiet Lake Estate in Wilton and New Canaan contains two lakes where residents can fish and boat.

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Enjoy beautiful water features including lakes, a stream, and waterfalls while horseback riding on the five miles of bridle trails found on this 153-plus-acre property.

Enjoy beautiful water features including lakes, a stream, and waterfalls while horseback riding on the five miles of bridle trails found on this 153-plus-acre property.

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Although most of this estate is wooded there is open space including two helicopter landing sites that can transport residents from the grounds to New York City in 18 minutes.

Although most of this estate is wooded there is open space including two helicopter landing sites that can transport residents from the grounds to New York City in 18 minutes.

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On the Market: 153 acres horse farm hits the market in Wilton

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WILTON — There’s not a blade of blue grass to be found and yet the 153-plus acre property that straddles Wilton and New Canaan is one of the best equestrian estates east of Churchill Downs with luxury accommodations for horses and humans alike.

Internationally renowned American architect Bartholomew Voorsanger designed the 8,000-square-foot mahogany and butternut barn, which includes a large entertainment room with a fireplace and a wall of glass providing dramatic views of a 10-foot waterfall. In this barn there are 11 over-sized horse stalls, two tack rooms, veterinary facilities, an office, industrial-capacity laundry room, wash area for the horses with special drying lights, hay room, a bedroom, five bath rooms, granite kitchenette, two generators, and ample storage areas.

The cavernous entertainment room in the barn has a cathedral and beamed ceiling a wall of Connecticut stone, and cove lighting. The flooring of the wide center corridor is rubberized to be gentle on horses’ hooves. Across the way there are two guest houses, each with three bedrooms and two full baths.

Nothing was overlooked in the design of the barn or the property. The horse trails were specially designed with a sprinkler system and flowers were planted along the paths. “It’s almost like an adult Disneyland,” one person said. Another person referred to it as an American Highclere Castle, the British estate where the PBS program Downton Abbey was filmed.

The main house was built in 1926. This 19-room stucco, brick, and wood Tudor mansion has a slate roof. Pass under the ornate entablature of the front entrance and into the center hall. Inside there is 10,645 square feet of living space. The rooms are spacious and all of them framed with decorative molding. Several have French doors to the grounds, and many rooms have stunning water views of Quiet Lake and Swan Lake.

In the pine paneled library there is a fireplace flanked by two sets of French doors to a large covered bluestone patio. A half bath has a hand-painted detail of a fox and flowers. On the opposite side of the center hall foyer the cavernous salon features ornate crown molding, paneling on the lower walls, and a green marble fireplace. The banquet-sized formal dining room has nearly floor-to-ceiling windows including a Palladium window topped with a keystone.

A café-style door leads into the large kitchen that is divided into two rooms, one for cooking and one for preparation work. In the working kitchen there is an industrial-sized Viking Professional eight-burner range with a grill and griddle, and a Sub-Zero refrigerator. There is also a butler’s pantry. Hand-painted vine-like details are found on each of the cabinets. Off the kitchen there are two rooms joined by a Jack-and-Jill-style bath. These carpeted rooms were accommodations for kitchen staff in times gone by.

Off the kitchen is an elevator, a flower-cutting room with a sink and shelving to store vases and pots, a mudroom, and a half bath.

A gracefully curved and decorative staircase leads to the second floor. Step down into the sizable master suite, which features a marble fireplace, grass cloth walls, wall-to-wall carpeting, a deep tray ceiling with cove lighting, and closets including a cedar closet. An impressive dressing room has olive wood cabinetry that looks like a work of art and a built-in bench. The master bath is divided into two sections. One has a sitting area, Travertine vanity with a make-up desk, wall-to-wall carpeting and a fireplace. The other has a Travertine floor, large shower, jetted tub, commode and bidet.

There are 11 bedrooms, some on the second floor and some on the third. Several are en suite while others share Jack-and-Jill baths. One of the bedrooms on the third floor is used as an exercise room with a ballet barre and mirrored wall. This room has its own full bath.

Although the basement is unfinished it does contain a 2,000-bottle climate-controlled wine cellar.

There are six approved entrances onto this property, one of which is in New Canaan. About 60 acres of this property sit in New Canaan.

For more information or to make an appointment to see the house contact Gail M. Murphy of Higgins Group Real Estate/Christie’s International Real Estate at 203-216-3879 or murphygm@optonline.net.